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IN THIS ISSUE

VOL. XXIII, NO. 44, November 4, 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

• In this Heroic Story, Marie Clark recalls a small action that helped
• Tom Telfer writes about the day Kennedy was shot
• Shirley Conlon forwards a seniors´ calendar for November
• Irene Harvalias sends an update of an old joke
• Catherine Nesbitt shares stories about technical thieves
• Miriam Ockenden sends a poem about the flu season
• Don Henderson shows the benefit of a good vocabulary
• Sites are suggested by Judith English, Tom Telfer, and Tony Lewis

Marie Clark of Pennsylvania writes in Heroic Stories about

SOME LITTLE ACTION I CAN TAKE

Rain began to pour down in buckets as my husband and I left a lovely Philadelphia restaurant and headed back to our car. Purse in one hand, dinner leftovers in the other, we raced toward the parking lot. My husband Mark popped the trunk and I threw leftovers and purse in, and then jumped in the car.

As we pulled out of the parking lot onto the one-way street, we both noticed a couple struggling along in the rain. The woman was short and slightly built. She was pushing the man, who was in a wheelchair. Although the night was cold and wet, neither was dressed warmly. This was an area in Old City, where the sidewalks have been around since the revolution, and show it in each bump and crack. We could see the effort it took to propel the chair down the walk. We drove slowly by them, each of us wishing we could help them. But what could we do? Our car is small - we could never have fitted both them and the chair into the back.

It was silent in the car as we headed for the bridge. Suddenly, my husband made a quick left, and then another. I understood he was heading back, looking for the couple, but I didn´t know why.

We didn´t see them immediately. They must have cut through one of the numerous local alleyways. We made another pass around the block and then, giving up, headed back for the bridge.

Just as I was saying, "They must live nearby. I´m sure they´re OK," we saw them in the headlights. Mark pulled the car slightly ahead of the couple, who stood looking at him a little fearfully. He went back to the trunk and opened it. "He´s giving them the leftovers," I thought.

But no. He reached into the trunk and came out with my big, brand-new golf umbrella. He´d noticed it when we opened the trunk earlier. He approached the couple in the pouring rain and opened the umbrella. He handed it to the man and smiled at him, without saying a word. Then he jumped back in the car and we drove away.

I had a lump in my throat the size of a grapefruit when I looked back at the two strangers under the huge umbrella. I´ll never forget the looks on their faces. And I´ll never forget the smile on my husband´s face as we headed home.

Mark has never told a soul about this. That´s just the kind of guy he is. But that event stays with me now, and I find myself looking for opportunities to help others out, even when it seems certain that I am not in the position to help. I am always surprised by how often something will occur to me - some little action I can take that makes a difference to someone else. You never know what you might have forgotten in your own trunk!

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CORRESPONDENCE

Tom Telfer writes about the day John F. Kennedy was shot: We can never forget that tragic day! At first there was disbelief, than a pall of sadness gripped us all.

I was teaching grade seven. Our school had a dentist´s office, and he got the story on his radio. Out in the schoolyard, parents were rushing around spreading the news.

My first-born was just a few days old, and folks at the hospital discussed a possible attack by Russia.

The memories of that mournful day will never leave us!

Shirley Conlon forwards the calendar illustration for November photographed in a retirement community in Essen, Germany, using some of their seniors for models. Here is the calendar for November:

DIRTY DANCING

Starring Johann Liedtke, 92, and Marianne Pape, 70

Irene Harvalias sends a variation on a golden oldie:

LUNCH AT HOOTERS

Two guys grow up together but after college one moves to New York State, the other to Florida. They agree to meet every ten years in Vero Beach and play golf.

Two guys grow up together but after college one moves to New York State, the other to Florida. They agree to meet every ten years in Vero Beach and play golf.

At age 30,they finish their round of golf and go to lunch.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
Well, you know, they got the broads with the big racks, and the tight shorts, and the legs.
OK.

Ten years later at age 40 they play.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
Well, you know, they got cold beer and the big screen TVs and everybody has a little action on the games.
OK.

Ten years later at age 50 they play a round of golf.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
The food is pretty good and there is plenty of parking.
OK.

At age 60 they play a round of golf.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
Wings are half price..
OK.

At age 70 they play a round of golf.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
They have six handicapped spaces right by the door.
OK.

At age 80 they play a round of golf.
Where you wanna go?
Hooters.
Why?
We've never been there before.

Catherine Nesbitt sends these examples of

CLEVER THIEVES

1. LONG-TERM PARKING:

Some people left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car´s registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people´s home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should NOT leave the registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener. This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

2. GPS:

Someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money, and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish, and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. Something to consider if you have a GPS - don´t put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

3. CELL PHONES:

I never thought of this. This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby said, "I received your text asking about our PIN number and I replied a little while ago." When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all their money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cellphone to text "hubby" in the contact list and got hold of the PIN number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:

a. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.

b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

c. Also, when you´re being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don´t reach them, be very careful about going places to meet "family and friends" who text you.

4. PURSE IN THE GROCERY CART SCAM:

A lady went grocery-shopping at a local mall and left her purse sitting in the children´s seat of the cart while she reached something off a shelf... Wait till you read the WHOLE story! Her wallet was stolen, and she reported it to the store personnel. After returning home, she received a phone call from the Mall Security to say that they had her wallet and that although there was no money in it, it did still hold her personal papers. She immediately went to pick up her wallet, only to be told by Mall Security that they had not called her. By the time she returned home again, her house had been broken into and burglarized. The thieves knew that by calling and saying they were Mall Security, they could lure her out of her house long enough for them to burglarize it.

Miriam Ockenden sends this timely reminder:

FLU TIME IS COMING

Choose your partners, one and all,
Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol.
Now fling those covers with all you've got,
One minute cold, next minute hot.

Circle right, to the side of the bed,
Grab the tissues and the Sudafed.
Back to the middle and don't goof off;
Hold your stomach and - cough, cough, cough.

Forget about slippers, dash down the hall,
Toss your cookies in the shower stall.
Remember others on the brink,
Wash your hands - wash the sink.

Wipe the door knob - light switch too.
By George, you've got it - you're doing the flu.
Some like it cold, some like it hot,
If you like neither - get the shot!

(No viruses found in this message, but get a flu shot anyway!)

Don Henderson forwards this:

THE VALUE OF A GOOD VOCABULARY

I called an old MIT classmate and asked what he was doing.

He replied that he was working on "Aqua-thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminum and steel under a constrained environment."

I was impressed.

However, upon further inquiry, I learned that he was washing dishes with hot water under his wife´s supervision.

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Judith English forwards this link to an article about the effects of the introduction of robots into the workplace, the good and the bad:

Tom Telfer recommends this USB stick that carries all the information that authorities or emergency department staff need to notify you or your family that something has happened. It also carries medical/allergy and medications being taken, and can be carried on a keyring. It is described and can be purchased at

Tom also shares this link to the story of a man who is exploring Australia in a campervan, accompanied by his cat, Willow:

Tony Lewis sends the URL for a short animated film entitled The Garden Party, which is already the winner of awards for its excellence:

From GoodNewsNetwork, here is the story of how Tesla is restoring power to Puerto Rican Children´s Hospital using solar power:

What is the best way for a country to prosper economically? Should it adopt a policy of free trade or is it better to restrict competition from abroad?

Dogwood posts this video of Kinder Morgan still refusing to take its illegal anti-spawning fences our of BC salmon rivers. Check out the URL on the comment under the video for a site to send the Premier a letter:

Check out this Simon´s Cat cartoon in which Simon takes his cat to the vet after a long struggle, of course:

China has introduced a self-driving trackless train that runs on virtual tracks in Zhuzhou in Hunan Province. It is 100 percent electric and can transport as many as 300 passengers in three carriages: